Study: The Most Effective Ads in Q2 Were Clear Pitches for New Products or Services

Google, E*Trade, Purina score top marks

A handful of the most effective ads that aired on TV in the last quarter—from April 1 to June 30, 2015—were to-the-point spots in which brands showed off new products or services.

Analytics firm Ace Metrix released its list of top-scoring ads for the second quarter in 31 different categories, from apparel and footwear to financial services. Google's "Questions" ad for the Google app came out on top.

The Google spot received an Ace Score, a ranking of creative effectiveness determined by how viewers react to spots, of 654 out of 950. It outperformed other spots in the "Technology, Software & Websites" category by 30.2 percent.

"Ads about information or product attributes, those scored very well this quarter because people are interested in new products and those particular brands," Ace Metrix CEO Peter Daboll told Adweek.

But that doesn't mean they weren't creative, Daboll noted.

"Mercedes-Benz and iRobot Roomba's ads were both well done, telling the story in a compelling way, but they're pointing out new features as well," Daboll added.

A number of other brands—including Smirnoff Ice, E*Trade, Discover Card, Purina and AT&T Wireless—scored top marks for the second quarter, outperforming other ads in their respective categories by 20 percent or more. Other brands not far behind (above 19 percent) included Nike, Coca-Cola and Kohl's.